text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Sep 26, 1995
|Filing date
|Dec 20, 1993
|Priority date
|Dec 20, 1993
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Michael S. Barnes, Robert P. Westerfield, Jr.
|Original Assignee
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (7), Referenced by (21), Classifications (17), Legal Events (7)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The field of the invention is that of electrostatic chucks for holding a workpiece by electrostatic attraction between the workpiece and one or more electrodes in the chuck.
Extensive work has been done in electrostatic chucks within the last ten years. An example is the chuck illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,964, issued to the International Business Machines Corporation. The chuck disclosed herein is an improvement on that chuck. Another indication of work in wafers is an article in the IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 19, No. 6, November 1976 entitled "Gas Cooling". U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,123 illustrates the use of gas to conduct heat between abutting surfaces, the gas being present in the irregularities between two nominally flush surfaces and permeating the available space by diffusion from a low impedance supply area. The gas pressure is nominally atmospheric, well above a transition value characterized by the equivalence of the mean free path of the gas and the average distance between the surfaces.
Another problem is that of fabricating a planar surface to support a semiconductor wafer and forming passages for the flow of coolant gases in the planar surface while avoiding electric breakdown through the dielectric coating between the two electrodes of a bipolar chuck such as that disclosed in the patent cited above.
The invention relates to an electrostatic chuck and method of manufacture of the chuck in which the component parts are machined, then partially anodized to provide a hard insulating surface on surfaces that are not in contact with the wafer, and then assembled, after which the top surface abutting the workpiece is machined and a correction radius is cut to suppress discharges between the electrodes.
FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective an exploded view of a chuck according to the invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of a portion of the chuck of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate in more detail a portion of the chuck in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 illustrates in cross-section the chuck of FIG. 1 showing details of the gas cooling arrangement.
FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates an RF coupling circuit according to the invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown in exploded view, a bipolar or split electrode electrostatic chuck, in which base electrode 200, the larger portion of the chuck, has an electrode recess 270 machined in it to hold second electrode, or ring electrode, 100, ring electrode 100 being displaced along axis 50 in order to illustrate the chuck with greater clarity. Electrode 200 has a raised center hub 250 that defines, together with rim 220 of base electrode 200 a top surface 210. As is known in the art, bipolar chucks attract semiconductor wafers or other workpieces to surface 210 by electrostatic attraction of induced charges on the lower surface of the workpiece and fringing fields extending up to the workpiece from the capacitor formed by electrodes 100 and 200.
It is the purpose of the invention to provide a high clamping force on the workpiece by the use of a small gap between the electrodes that is formed between two thin layers of high quality dielectric while still retaining the advantage of the cited '964 chuck of having as planar a surface as possible over the entire face of the chuck.
Referring again to FIG. 1, it can be seen that ring electrode 100 has an inner vertical surface 155 that will have an inner recess gap between it and corresponding vertical surface 255 of center hub 250 after assembly. There is a corresponding pair of outer surfaces 105 and 205 that define a second outer recess gap. It is important, to provide consistency in clamping force, that these gaps be defined precisely and that they be repeatable. At the bottom of recess 270 there are illustrated two apertures 230 that are used to permit the passage of lifting pins to raise ring electrode 100 up so that top surface 110 is coplanar with surface 210 of base electrode 200. The initial thickness of electrode 100 is made to allow a coupling gap between the bottom of recess 270 (the oxidized recess depth) and the bottom of electrode 100 (i.e. allowing for an oxidized thickness of electrode 100) of nominal thickness 0.001" to 0.003", typically 0.002".
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a cross-section of electrode 200 through recess 270. Ring electrode 100 is shown displaced for clarity. In recess 270, a top radius denoted by the numeral 256 is machined between surface 250 and surface 255. Illustratively, this surface has a radius of curvature of 0.015 inch. A corresponding bottom corner denoted with the numeral 258 between side surface 255 and bottom surface 260 has a radius of curvature of 0.060 inch. Preferably, these radii are machined by a numerically controlled lathe using carbide, ceramic, or diamond tooling. Corresponding radii for electrode 100 are 0.015 inch for radius 256' at the top and 0.090 inch for radius 258' on the bottom.
The final cut of the top surfaces of both electrodes 100 and 200 in the preferred method is made in a profile operation with a nominal depth of cut of 0.002 inch and a turning rate of the workpiece to produce a smooth surface having a nominal finish of 2 microinches that facilitates the formation of a high quality dielectric coating. The full surfaces of electrode 100 are also final machined, with the top surface being machined to the same standard.
Both electrodes 100 and 200 have an oxidation surface layer denoted by the numerals 102 and 202, respectively, that is formed in a process such as the ALUMILITE (registration of the Aluminum Company of America) process that, at a minimum, meets the requirements of military specification no. MIL-A-8625 Type III, Class 1 and produces a heavy, dense coating. For ease of reference, such a coating will be referred to as "hard-coat oxide" Aluminum alloy 6061-T6 is a preferable base material.
It has been found that it is important for the production of a heavy, dense oxide that the material be tested and extensive sampling is required in order to locate billets that are satisfactory. Those skilled in the art are aware that the processing steps, aging after fabrication, grain size and chemical composition all affect the quality of an oxide coating. The simplest method of selection is simply anodizing a test piece.
The main requirement of the insulation, whether it be hard-coat anodization, alumina, or any other insulator, is that the coating be as non-porous as possible, so that the electrical breakdown voltage of the insulator is as high as possible. The higher the breakdown voltage the smaller the gaps between the electrodes can be. Preferably, the breakdown strength should be at least 500 volts per mil. 10 Insulators 102 and 202 are preferably applied to produce a final thickness of 0.002 inch. Porosity is also important in this application. If the plasma can penetrate through the pores and contact an electrode, then there can be either an arc through the plasma or the electrode can be brought to the plasma potential, thereby declamping that electrode.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a detail of a chuck according to the invention, in which the top surfaces of electrodes 100 and 200 are machined to final size after assembly. This method is an improvement on the method of the cited '964 patent as described below. The area shown is the joint between electrodes 100 and 200, near the center of the chuck. In FIG. 3A, oversized electrodes 100 and 200 have been aligned and bonded together after an initial anodization step in which the top surfaces 110 and 210 were masked off. Surfaces 255 and 155 have been anodized as has the bottom of pocket 270 and the bottom of electrode 100. This bottom anodizing step is optional, depending on the quality of the insulation used and the degree of current leakage that can be tolerated. After alignment as described below, the electrodes have been bonded with an electrically insulating epoxy 254 such as H70S. As can be seen in FIG. 3A, the epoxy has been filled above line 210' that will be the final top surface of the electrodes.
In the next figure, 3B, the top of both electrodes has been finish machined to a finish of four microinches (approaching two microinches) and radii 256 and 256' have been machined. In the machining step, the anodization coating was first scored with a diamond scribe and then a plunge cut operation was performed in which a tool having the appropriate radius (256, 256') is plunged into the epoxy 254 and moved about the circumference of electrode 100. In the example, radius 256 was 0.030 inch. After the plunge cut operation, the top and outer surfaces of the chuck are anodized. Subsequent to anodization, another layer of electrically insulating epoxy 258 is applied to fill the gap created between radii 256 and 256'. One of ordinary skill in the art would not think to machine off the first anodization coating prior to the plunge cut operation because it is known that machining hard coat anodization results in a rough surface because the coating is brittle and tears off instead of being machined smoothly. The machining could be extended further inward to give a new smooth surface, but there would then be a greater horizontal step in the vertical surface caused by a) the extra machining and b) by the fact that the oxide forms by growing into the aluminum. Such a step is of course undesirable because there will be high field strength at the step, with an attendant increase in the danger of current leakage. In addition, the interface between the new and old epoxies (258 and 254), which will have a lower resistance for current leakage because the bond between the two epoxies will not be as uniform as the bonds within the volume of an epoxy mass, will be at the vertical position of the steps. There will inevitably be some step or sharp change in radius because at least a minimum amount of aluminum must be removed. The radii 256 and 256' may be chosen to be different (using two tools and two machining operations) so that the steps will be separated by a vertical amount. In addition, one skilled in the art would be aware that aluminum particles will be generated in the machining process and may become lodged in the epoxy, giving rise to a weak spot that will provide electrical breakdown. Chips may be picked out manually and/or a secondary plunge cut removing only epoxy may be done after machining radii 256, 256' to remove remaining aluminum chips and also to lower the joint between old and new epoxy so that the bond line is not at the same height as the discontinuity between old and new anodization.
The sequence of steps is:
1. Rough machine the outer dimensions of electrodes 100 and 200.
2. Finish machine pocket 270
3. Finish machine 155, 255 and bottom of 100; jig-bore dowel pin locating holes in electrodes 100 and 200.
4. Anodize pocket 270 surfaces 155, 255, and bottom of 100. Mask top surfaces of electrodes 100 and 200.
5. Score a line 210' with a diamond tool bit at the base of the area to be plunge cut. Coat anodized surfaces with polyimide. Optionally machine off the hard coat anodization above the diamond scribe line.
6. Bond electrodes 100 and 200 using dowel pin alignment and techniques and an electrically insulating epoxy 254 such that leakage current the electrodes will be less than 1 microamp.
7. Plunge cut machine radii 256 and 256'; finish machine surfaces 210' and all remaining outer surfaces of the chuck.
8. Anodize surfaces 210' and outer surfaces of chuck;
9. Seal plunge cut radii with thermally conductive electrically insulating epoxy 258.
Optionally, a polyimide sheet may be inserted between the electrodes if the temperature will be above 20 degrees C.
The thickness of ring electrode 100 is made smaller than the nominal depth of recess 270 to allow for a nominal gap of 0.002 inch between the bottom surfaces after the bonding step. Uniformity of this gap is relevant for plasma-assisted etching steps in which RF power is fed through the chuck to sustain the plasma. Since the RF will ordinarily be capacitively coupled through bottom gap 112 in the area of electrode 100, less power will be fed through in that area because of the impedance of this capacitor, and the etching process may be affected in this area if the process is highly sensitive the amount of power. Different processes will have different power sensitivities and those skilled in the art will readily be able to measure the sensitivity of their processes. Chucks used in processes that do not have applied RF will not be affected by this consideration and may have larger gaps. Alternatively, each of electrodes 100 and 200 may be fed RF power directly through appropriate adaptive circuits.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated in cross-section, partially pictorially and partially schematically, a portion of a chuck according to the invention showing details of cooling passages for gas cooling of the workpiece. At the right of the figure, a gas, such as helium or argon, passes upwardly through channel 510 through electrode 200 into a channel denoted by the numeral 515 that passes around the rim of electrode 200. The heat transfer gas will diffuse in radially and azimuthally from passage 515 and then stop diffusing once the pressure within the interstices between the two surfaces is equal to that of passage 515. Since there is no impedance path in the interior along which gas can flow to an outlet, there can be no pressure drop and the pressure will necessarily be uniform.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanism used herein to maintain the pressure between the chuck and the wafer at a nominal value (10 Torr, say) that is much greater than the nominal pressure of the chamber (order of magnitude 0.5 mTorr-2 Torr) is that of flowing gas outwardly through the impedance of the short path between rim passage 515 and the ambient vacuum. Pressure within passage 515 is equal to the "impedance" of the constricted passages between wafer 600 and base electrode 200 times the flow, in analogy to Ohm's law. Thus, it can be seen that, given the impedance set by the roughness of the surfaces and the attractive force between the chuck and wafer 600, it is essential to flow a predetermined amount of gas sufficient to maintain the pressure in the desired range. This approach of maintaining in order to establish pressure is sharply different from such prior art as U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,367, showing the use of O-ring seals or other elastomeric seal to prevent any flow. Such seals are subject to attack by the plasma on the outer edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,391 shows a chuck using mechanical clamps and having a large chamber of thickness at least as great as the wafer (>0.02 inch ) in which gas within the chamber can flow freely to equalize any pressure. Sealing is provided by mechanical clamps pressing the wafer with great force against a raised lip at the outer edge of the chuck that defines the gas chamber. Since clamping is applied only at the edges, the clamping pressure in the clamping area must be greater than the attracting pressure in an electrostatic chuck at least in the ratio of clamping areas. If the clamping pressure for an electrostatic chuck is 20 Torr (the pressure of the coolant gas that will pop the wafer off the chuck), then the total clamping force is 20 Torr�Atotal, where Atotal is the total area of the chuck. For a mechanically clamped chuck to apply the same total force on a reduced clamping area Aclamp, the pressure in the clamping area must be 20Torr (Atotal /Aclamp). For example, in the case of a 200 mm diameter chuck with a lip 5 mm wide, Atotal =π1002 mm2, Aclamp =π(1002 -952)mm2,and the ratio Atotal /Aclamp =10.3. Such a mechanically clamped chuck must exert a clamping pressure at least ten times as great as that of the electrostatic chuck and therefore will have a correspondingly better seal, since sealing is a monotonic increasing function of pressure.
Illustratively, the diameter of passage 510 is 0.030 inch for a nominal length of 0.375 inch and the diameter of passage 512 below it is 0.125 inch. Passage 510 should not support a glow discharge, so that conventional baffles or other means should be used to ensure that Paschen's law is not satisfied so that a glow discharge does not develop. Long runs of gas lines should be decoupled from the chuck (e.g. by the use of quartz tubing or insulated tubing) and in cases packed with Teflon miniature tubing to reduce the exposed volume of gas.
Distribution passage 515 has a nominal depth of 0.020 inch and a radius of curvature where it meets the top surface 220 of electrode 200 of 0.010 inch and radii of curvature of 0.020 inch at the bottom. The intersection of groove 515 and passage 510 may be radiused if desired.
An advantage of this configuration of azimuthal distribution through a low impedance distribution groove about the periphery and radial distribution through diffusion compared with configurations having low impedance radial grooves connecting a set of circular grooves is that sharp corners are formed where grooves intersect and present a threat of arcing through the cooling gas to the wafer, the arcs being initiated by the high fields at the corners. Those skilled in the art can readily appreciate that many other configurations of gas coolant flow are known in the art. For example, a central aperture may be used as a feed, with the gas flowing radially into the ambient vacuum. This version has the disadvantage that the pressure will vary with radius and thus that there will be some variation in cooling efficiency.
Preferably, the gas pressure is such that the mean free path is considerably less than the average distance between surface 210 and the back of wafer 600. With this condition, referred to as the high pressure regime, the thermal conductivity of the gas film is substantially independent of pressure over a range from about one Torr up to atmospheric pressure. In the low pressure regime, where the mean free path is greater than or equal to the average distance, the thermal conductivity is an exponentially declining function of pressure. Operation in the low pressure regime is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,314. In contrast to the terminology of that patent, the terminology used here is the standard convention that "conduction" refers to heat transport by repeated molecular collision substantially without mass flow and "convection" refers to heat transport by the motion of energetic particles from one location to another, usually but not necessarily with net mass flow. Thus, in the low pressure regime, the heat transfer is by convection since a particle acquires energy at the hot wafer and travels to the cold base without collision where it gives up its energy when it collides with the base.
Aperture 550 represents a passage for cooling fluid, such as water, flowing perpendicular to the plane of the paper in this figure. The use of coolant water is optional, depending on the heat that must be removed from the workpiece by the chuck. On the left of the figure are found electrical connections for both DC voltage and RF power. The DC voltage is a nominal 600 volts applied between electrodes 200 and 100. The value can range broadly, depending on the application, from nearly zero to about 800 volts. The RF connection is a nominal 1000 watts at 13.56 MHz for a chuck diameter of 200 mm. The RF frequency and power will be determined by the manufacturer of the chamber in which the chuck will be mounted and will vary with the type of etching gas, the material being etched, the size of the wafer, and the size of the chamber. It is fed from generator 630 to two boxes labeled 610 and 620 which represent conventional impedance matching and power distribution subsystems that are connected to electrodes 200 and 100, respectively. A conventional DC power supply 235, isolated by low-pass filters as shown in FIG. 6, supplies the DC bias. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the RF power may be applied at various points to effect a balance between the power coupled to the plasma above electrode 200 and that coupled above electrode 100. For example, there may be a single feed to electrode 200 with capacitive coupling through gap 112 to electrode 100; there may be a direct connection to one of the electrodes with an impedance matching/ power balancing system to the other electrode; or electrode 200 and/or 100 may be connected at a number of points. The feed may be used to compensate for the extra capacitance between base electrode 200 and electrode 100 and therefore to make the power coupled into the plasma equal for the two electrodes or there may be a deliberate imbalance to compensate for the effects of the chamber dimensions which may require a greater power feed in some areas to maintain uniformity of the etching.
Use of the chuck is not confined to semiconductor wafers and it may be used with a number of different materials. It may be used in a materials handling system in which wafers or any other workpieces are to be picked and moved, generally referred to as pick and place systems.
An optional step that improves the chuck holding force is a burnishing step after the oxide has been formed and either before or after assembly. The chuck is placed on a granite surface block or other nonconductive smooth surface free of impurities and held down with a pressure of one to five pounds. Rubbing the chuck on the block for two minutes improved the gas leak rate by a factor of more than two. Holding force is conveniently measured by the gas pressure required to free the wafer from the chuck. Since the initial holding force is satisfactory, the voltage applied to the chuck electrodes can be reduced, placing less stress on the dielectric and resulting in longer life.
It has been found that at temperatures greater than 20� C. there is a substantial leakage current between electrodes 100 and 200 if a filled epoxy system of nominal thickness 0.001 inch to 0.002 inch is used as the bonding agent. This is surprising as both alumina and typical fillers such as boron nitride are good insulators. This leakage comes from mobile ions remaining after the anodization step that flow through the oxide coating, progressively weakening it. Preferably, an organic coating or an epoxy having a low ion mobility is used to block the flow. A film of polyimide (trade mark of dupont) 0.001" thick is inserted between electrodes 100 and 200 in order to reduce the leakage current along the vertical surfaces and below electrode 100. With this approach, a typical leakage current is reduced from >10μA to <1μA at 100� C. Dipping the electrodes in an organic material such as polyimide resin may also be used.
Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated another embodiment in which the electrodes 100 and 200 are electrically decoupled, in contrast to the earlier versions in which RF power was transmitted to the "donut" electrode 100 by capacitive coupling. In this version, isolation ring 111, illustratively formed from alumina, boron nitride or any other insulator with relatively good thermal properties, has a vertical thickness sufficient to decouple the electrodes. In the version of FIG. 4, there would be two steps at the inner and outer edges of the ring. For the 200 mm chuck illustrated, the capacitance between the electrodes is preferably less than 500 pf. The shape of ring 111 is not a simple ring, but has a higher portion on the inner radius. The reason for this extra-cost option is to reduce the capacitance between electrodes 100 and 200 to tailor the RF power distribution.
The radial gap between the electrodes should be relatively small, (0.020 inch) in order to have strong fringing fields for a good grip on the workpiece, but a close gap increases the capacitance. The ring is not extended up to the surface because of the above constraint from the fringing fields and also because the thermal conductivity of ceramic is much less than that of aluminum, so that there would be a radial temperature discontinuity if the ceramic did extend up to the surface. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the final dimensions will depend on the usual engineering tradeoffs, including the sensitivity of the process to radial differences in coupled RF power, differences in temperature and wafer clamping force. In the embodiment illustrated, ring 111 was 0.125 inch thick in the main portion and was 0.340 inch thick in the inner portion. The nominal thickness of electrode 100 at the inner radius was 0.125 inch.
Note that this embodiment lacks the outer rim 210 of the embodiment of FIG. 1, so that the gas feed groove 515 is in electrode 100. The embodiment also has a dielectric field shaping ring 300 to maintain the field lines perpendicular to the wafer. The box labelled 615 represents the coupling circuit illustrated in FIG. 6, in which DC power supply 635, isolated by RF chokes and capacitively shunted to ground in a conventional fashion, is connected to electrodes 100 and 200 in parallel with a capacitive coupler in which a small fixed capacitor C2 is in parallel with a variable capacitor C3 that is used to tune to compensate for radial variations in plasma generation caused by non-uniform fields reflecting the geometry of the chamber that affect the plasma above electrode 100 differently from that above electrode 200. There is a frequency-dependent conductivity of the wafer that implies that the system will work better at higher frequency.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jul 30, 1985
|Feb 24, 1987
|Kabushiki Kaisha Tokuda Seisakusho
|Electrostatic chuck
|Sep 7, 1990
|Oct 8, 1991
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Electrostatic chuck having tapered electrodes
|May 3, 1991
|Mar 31, 1992
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Method for fabricating a split-ring electrostatic chuck
|May 5, 1988
|Apr 7, 1992
|Unisearch Limited
|Electrostatic chuck using A.C. field excitation
|Jan 31, 1991
|Nov 24, 1992
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Electrostatic chuck with diamond coating
|Aug 30, 1991
|Feb 9, 1993
|Texas Instruments Incorporated
|In-situ real-time sheet resistance measurement method
|Dec 18, 1991
|May 25, 1993
|Elliott Joe C
|Electrostatic chuck
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Mar 27, 1995
|Dec 10, 1996
|Tokyo Electron Limited
|Method of forming a bonding portion
|May 24, 1995
|Jun 3, 1997
|Applied Materials Inc.
|Method of making a dielectric chuck
|Mar 27, 1996
|Sep 23, 1997
|Applied Materials Inc.
|Electrostatic chuck
|Jul 10, 1995
|Jan 13, 1998
|Watkins Johnson Company
|Electrostatic chuck assembly
|Jan 31, 1995
|Apr 28, 1998
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Electrostatic chuck with conformal insulator film
|Jun 14, 1996
|May 5, 1998
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Shield for an electrostatic chuck
|May 17, 1996
|May 19, 1998
|Saphikon Inc.
|Electrostatic chuck
|Nov 15, 1996
|Jun 9, 1998
|Olin Corporation
|Ground ring for a metal electronic package
|Jun 26, 1997
|Nov 17, 1998
|Watkins-Johnson Company
|Electrostatic chuck assembly
|Jul 18, 1995
|Mar 16, 1999
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Electrostatic chuck with fluid flow regulator
|Jun 3, 1997
|Nov 16, 1999
|Watkins-Johnson Company
|Electrostatic support assembly having an integral ion focus ring
|Oct 4, 1996
|Dec 7, 1999
|Applied Materials Inc.
|Method of forming an electrostatic chuck suitable for magnetic flux processing
|Feb 21, 1997
|Oct 17, 2000
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Multiple substrate processing apparatus for enhanced throughput
|Apr 30, 1996
|Jan 23, 2001
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Multideck wafer processing system
|Feb 16, 1999
|Mar 13, 2001
|Anelva Corporation
|Plasma processing apparatus
|May 18, 2000
|Apr 23, 2002
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Plasma enhanced chemical processing reactor and method
|Sep 11, 2003
|Sep 4, 2007
|United Microelectronics Corp.
|Plasma apparatus and method capable of adaptive impedance matching
|Jul 23, 2003
|Jan 27, 2005
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Electrostatic chuck having electrode with rounded edge
|Sep 11, 2003
|Mar 17, 2005
|Chien-Hsin Lai
|Plasma apparatus and method capable of adaptive impedance matching
|May 2, 2013
|Intevac, Inc.
|Solar wafer electrostatic chuck
|Jun 21, 1996
|Jan 30, 1997
|Watkins Johnson Company
|Electrostatic chuck assembly
|U.S. Classification
|29/825, 29/530, 29/460, 29/458, 29/527.2, 29/527.4
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Dec 20, 1993
Owner name: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, NEW Y
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BARNES, MICHAEL S.;WESTERFIELD, ROBERT P., JR.;REEL/FRAME:006814/0616;SIGNING DATES FROM 19931213 TO 19931215
|Dec 2, 1998
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Apr 9, 2001
Owner name: DORSEY GAGE CO., INC., NEW YORK
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:011722/0579
Effective date: 20010319
|Mar 25, 2003
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Mar 26, 2007
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12
|Jan 3, 2012
Owner name: PRAXAIR S.T. TECHNOLOGY, INC., CONNECTICUT
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:PRAXAIR SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.;REEL/FRAME:027468/0512
Effective date: 20111220
|May 15, 2012
Owner name: FM INDUSTRIES, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:PRAXAIR S.T. TECHNOLOGY, INC.;REEL/FRAME:028214/0615
Effective date: 20120105


text:
Astonishing Pencil Illustrations by Franco Clun
- Oct 10, 2012
- PauloGabriel
I ran into this artist a few weeks ago and totally fell in love with his work. I was searching for Fringe related artworks and found a breathtaking image of his, featuring Peter, Olivia and Walter.
But that piece was not the only good piece he got. He's got plenty! The man behind these astonishing pieces is Italian artist Franco Clun. I must say that he's work is super realistic, and this guy is super talented. I really recommend you to pay him a visit at his deviantART portfolio for more of these. I know you will love it and he'll definitely enjoy your visit. Cheers! ;)
I'm Paulo Gabriel, a Publicist by degree and Front-end Developer/Designer by passion with a taste for the meaningful and emotional.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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'The Biker' Jean Jacket
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Gold-polished snaps, zippers and buckles shine against the dusty pink denim backdrop composing a slim moto-inspired jacket with ladylike edge.
- 22" length (size 2).
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- By Current/Elliott; made in the USA of imported fabric.
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Totally enjoyed my trip all day. I wish we had more time walking around the stores and kiosks by the water. I sampled a light Belgian waffel that was to die for. And bought smoked eel from a stand that was so good. Netherlands should go sell more eel again and export it. So hard to find.
This was a great tour and the guide was wonderful especially on the Delph part
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The only hiccup was the time delay before the afternoon tour and after the morning tour. We seemed to wait a considerable time which was more than we were advised.
However we did see every thing advertised and enjoyed the 2 trips
This tour was amazing!
Carine Song Singapore
We had an enjoyable trip. The tour guide was very informative and caring. Strongly recommended.
Carine Song Singapore
We had an enjoyable trip. The tour guide was very informative and caring. Strongly recommended.
It was delightful to visit the working windmills. We met with the owner and manager who was delightful and happy to pose for a picture.
This was an excellent trip. Enjoyed the calm and quiet yet very beautiful countryside. Trips to Windmill and Cheese factory were really great. Got a very good feel of country side in Netherlands. Which is very different from the Amsterdam downtown. Commentary on board the morning trip was also very informative.
Tristan United Kingdom
I highly recommend this tour. It will save you a lot of time and money. Stress free, just hop on and enjoy! No need to think twice, its worth it!
Very busy and enjoyable. Saw a good cross section of Holland.
excellent !!
Excellent tour. The guide was especially good. Enough time at each stop allowing for pictures and a bit of shopping and lunch. Very informative. Very well done.
This was a great tour guide was knowledgeable the bus took us to the right spots were very happy
Lowell Cabangon Australia
Even though the weather is cold and windy, we had a great time with this trip. Though I wish we had a chance to get a bit of walking in Hague.
Loved everything about it!!!!!!!!!
A full on full day! But great. We began early and our tour guide Edwardo in the morning was very good we drove out of town into the country and in the morning visited the still working windmills, a tour around a saw mill was fascinating, really worth doing this because the windmills are in a really old Dutch village. I wished we had had more time to explore but a return trip maybe some time. We also visited a clog maker and the process of making the clogs properly demonstrated and explained, really enjoyed trying on the clogs too! From there a boat trip across the largest lake in Europe with a very interesting history! To a fishing village with a real seaside feel for lunch not included. We also visited a cheese making facility and there were plenty of samples. A great morning. We went back to Amsterdam for the afternoon leg of the journey this time the guide was older and more sober in his disposition not a great conversationalist we missed the morning guide, but the tour was still interesting to the Hague which we drove through, Delft was very interesting we then ended in the model village which was fantastic but having done a full day by now I was personally a bit to tired to fully enjoy. However value for money is what you get on this all day tour and it allowed us to see so much that would have been difficult to do on our own. Recommended and good value in my opinion.
Slightly tight on time as there are two separate trips back to back . Early start of 8:45 AM really helped withought feeling hassled . Guides were good on the morning trip and magnificient on the after noon trip to Hague and Delft . We got about 45 minutes to spend in Maduradom which felt a bit tight and possibly some more time can be given here .
A full day of great sites.
Wish we had more time at Windmills and Volendam.
Nice experience of the Dutch windmills, Delft pottery and the detailed miniatures of Madurodam.
It was well organized. The tour guide Mr Edgar was excellent. He gave us good info and we had enough time for sight seeing and to take pictures. the bus had GPS connected ear phones which was new to us. Would highly recommend for someone who wants to have quick tour of these places. Its impossible to do it using public transport
Krunal India
Vintage Netherlands...4 star 1 star for madorodam
excellent from pickup guided tour bus and well informed and pleasant guide. tour company bus and people nice and immaculate, wellinformedtour guides very professional
the tour was great, its worth it,
We loved this tour. My partner described it as the Netherlands in a day and we definitely covered a lot of ground. The windmills area was very atmospheric and seeing a windmill producing oil was interesting. I loved the visit to Delft and we had an excellent lunch in Volendam at the restaurant suggested by the guide. Highly recommended.
A fantastic way to get a taste of the real Netherlands. Fantastic, knowledgeable tour guide and comfortable coach. A great day jam-packed with wonderful experiences
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text: A 1.5-cm-tall object is 90 cm in front of a diverging lens that has a 45 cm focal length. Use ray tracing to find the position and height of the image. To do this accurately, use a ruler or paper with a grid. Determine the image distance and image height by making measurements on your diagram.


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Snow Drop review
Out In The Cold
Peach Princess is a company that sees merit in bringing titles of the visual novel genre to an English speaking audience, and having experienced some enjoyable novels of this nature it's easy to see the appeal of such a marketing move. You have some wonderful novels to enjoy, and you also have some outright terrible ones. Snow Drop is unfortunately one of the latter. It starts off promising but it screams so much of unfulfilled potential and poor execution that it misses the mark by miles.
The novel starts off on a positive note, in that it actually looks quite nice. A lot of what you're looking at is typical VN fare but at least it's executed competently enough. The 640x480 resolution is a little downer but you can't help but appreciate the visual flair.
Despite being locked to a ski resort for most of the story there is a fair few locations to visit and thus scenary to admire, like the ski slopes, the gondola, the cabin, woods and the hot springs. Each area does look quite nice too, and a suitable change in lighting to reflect changes in the time of day. It's all wonderfully put together and does give the impression of a ski break for the characters.
Character art is more hit and miss. On the plus side each person is detailed well enough, with a number of outfit choices and will show numerous expressions such as shock or joy. The boldness and colour depth done in the rest of the visuals carries over to here too. However, every person (outside of CG scenes) is locked to a single pose. Honami spends almost the entire trip in some kind of defensive position, and just how long is Keika intending to keep her hand hovering in the air? Given the genre I'm not expecting full-blown animation, but I do expect people to change their pose occasionally. Sometimes their body posture just makes no sense in given circumstances.
CG scenes offer a more detailed interpretation of certain events. The more sedate of these can involve things like Keika using you to get rid of unwanted attention or a snowmobile drive down the mountain at high speed. These scenes are used for the sex situations, for where the usual style wouldn't be of much use. Generally these artworks are wonderfully created and share the same vibrancy and detail the rest of the novel enjoys. There are a lot of these too and working to unlock them may well serve as a draw.
The text display can be a little weird at times. Set the message display speed to anything other than fastest and you'll find that the spacing gets distorted. Sometimes letters will be crushed into each other, or letters spaced too far apart. At the fastest message speed this doesn't happen, but it does negate the point of offering different display speeds.
The music itself is quite fitting to proceedings. Most of it is quite cherry in nature, with upbeat tunes to compliment the feel-good development of the plot. There is also a distinctive sorrowful tune used during sad events that strikes a chord and works nicely. The opening song is also quite wonderful, and although I felt it was not as impressive as others I've heard it did seem quite suitable and good on its own merits.
The novel is full voice acted aside from the protagonist, and this is great too. The VAs clearly put a great deal of effort in and the results show in the way characters express themselves vocally. It's Japanese audio only, but it helps to set the scene and at no point did I find issue with any voicework.
So far so good, and even the story progression starts off well enough. You play as Minoru a college kid whose parents decided to have a second honeymoon and leave him to have a ski holiday with his friends. Such caring responsible parents, eh? Minoru is not alone for the trip, as you have his two friends Keika (the token sex crazed girl) and Kyouka (the token childhood friend), and then there is your sister Honami (the token loli sister - WHO IS TOTALLY OVER 18 BECAUSE PEACH PRINCESS SAID SO).
Well, predictable character types itself is not a bad thing and Snow Drop certainly goes well at first. Generally I found any interaction scene I had with a girl was all too brief (I'd get talking to one and then they would soon disappear for one reason or another) but it was interesting to see the playful times each of them shared. I was looking forward to seeing the story develop further, but that's where the rather significant problems start showing up.
The novel is spread out over 5 game days, and the first four days mostly seem to follow the same basic relationships. Keika keeps making advances on Minoru, Kyouka gets into fights with you, Shikuka plays the shy maid role. It's nice to see the different girls having fun and enjoying the break, and nothing ever seems to go anywhere even when at first it seems like it might do. These scenes aren't even long enough to actual develop anything meaningful, which is another major flaw. The pacing is pretty bad, where events are finished before anything significant actually happens.
The fifth day is where the story actual does go somewhere, though this does depend on whether you have met the conditions for it. Fail to meet those conditions and the story just ends on a rather boring note with your trip back to your parents and absolutely no satisfactory conclusion with any of the girls.
The 'true' fifth day generally depends on set actions in the fourth day. Having picked to focus on Kyouka's endings on my initial playthrough I made all the right choices... and still felt unsatisfied. I was greeted with an extended day five and a few more events (that gave me more CGs for my collection) but the end result felt so mundane that I couldn't believe it. Not that the novel provided much build up in the first place, but the level of storytelling wasn't any higher than what I'd seen in the rest of the novel. I even ended up skipping part of it for fear that I might fall asleep trying to pay attention, which shows just how badly it missed the mark.
There are other large scale blunders in here though. The various sex scenes designed to sell to the adult audience felt utterly pointless at times and completely lacking in substance. One instance has Minoru accidentally coming across another couple in the woods at it, but there was no real meaning to this and it was over very quickly, leaving me to question why they bothered with such a scene. Even Minoru's sexual encounters with the main girls seems largely without reason and are equally over before you realise that they've ended.
Perhaps the biggest nail in the coffin here are the decision points. You have a number of times where you have to decide where to go, which determines which characters you'll meet. The problem is that there is never any indication of who is where, so meeting up with specific characters involves a complete trail and error method of saving, picking a random location and reloading if you don't get who you want. Granted that the reload trick is commonplace for a visual novel, but you normally get some kind of hint as to what choices do what. Here it's totally obscure.
Even worse are the conditions to unlock the true fourth and fifth days. To reach these (and therefore obtain endings that are slightly better than the default poor ending) you have to visit specific events through the first three days. The problem is that there is no hint whatsoever of what events are needed, and missing one can screw things up. In the end hitting the true end path will likely require the assistance of a guide, which is a poor showing.
Almost as a final insult is the overall length of the novel. It's the kind of novel you can start and finish in the same day without skipping, which pales drastically in comparison to other stellar entries in the genre. Again, everything goes finishes too quickly and before you know it you're back at the main menu without really taking much from the story. There are alternate endings and some stubborn CGs to unlock, but with a decision point system as obscure as this one it seems unlikely someone would want to.
There are a few extras in the package, which basically are the CG gallery, event viewer and music player, where different elements are unlocked in the main game and viewed/listend to in these modes.
It started off well enough, but the flaws of Snow Drop are really quite massive and work to destroy the quality of the novel. The presentation and beginning are nice but when everything is rushed through in a small timespan with obscure choices then that doesn't mean much. Seek out a different entry in the genre and get a better experience than what this one offers.
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Soon after Gary Lizalek was hired at a Wisconsin medical firm, he informed the company that he believed, as a matter of religious faith, that he was three separate beings. The company fired all three Lizaleks. He sued, saying the company failed to accommodate his religious beliefs.
Salary Negotiating
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More pink slips are on the horizon. According to outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas, 1 million more job cuts are likely in 2009. But, there's a silver lining among all the dark clouds of this recession, says the firm's chief executive, John Challenger, and it's this: Layoffs can be good news, in a strange way.
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The odds are good. U.S. companies will keep pay raises steady in 2009, reports a survey by Washington, D.C., consulting firm Watson Wyatt.


text:
Authors Auster, Rushdie Reflect on Sept. 11
Writers Paul Auster and Salman Rushdie reflect on how Sept. 11 forced a reimagination of the shape of the world. Guest host Linda Wertheimer guides their conversation.
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text:
Materials Rrequired
Chalk Powder – 250gm
Plaster of Paris
Camel Gum
What to do
Take 250gm chalk powder add 6-7 tsp POP add big spoon camel gum and equal quantity of fevicol. (If you want mix a little water). Start moulding leaves and flowers on to the pot. Do it very quickly before it dries.


text:
Emily Blunt arrives at the Premiere Of Universal Pictures' 'The Huntsman: Winter's War' on April 11, 2016 in Westwood, California.
Check out the new high quality photos of Emily Blunt, Isabella Harvey and John Krasinski attend Family Reach's Cooking Live From New York: Emily Blunt & John Krasinski join celebrity chefs Ming Tsai and Morimoto, to help families fighting pediatric cancer at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park on November 2, 2015 in New York City. Seems like fun!


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Cost of Long-Term Care Study
In 2014, the Long Term Care Group, Inc. conducted customized Cost of Care research on behalf of Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company. Cost of care information was obtained from a representative sample of 8,500 nursing homes, 12,500 assisted living facilities and 13,000 home care providers across the U.S.
This research is important in the understanding of accessibility and affordability of different types of care services by geographic location. The findings help consumers make informed decisions about their long-term care options and costs, which may allow them to stay in their homes or within their local communities in the event of functional limitation or cognitive impairment.
Visit the Cost of Care Calculator to learn more about costs in your area.
- Home Care
- Assisted Living
- Nursing Homes
Home Care
Home Health Care
Home health care is a $83.2 billion a year industry in the United States1, with approximately 7.6 million individuals receiving care2 because of acute illness, long-term health conditions, permanent disability or terminal illness, according to the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. Home health care organizations include home health care agencies, home care aide organizations and hospices.
For the Cost of Long Term-Care Study, 13,000 home care organizations were surveyed in 2014. Key findings include:
- The national average hourly rate for Home Health Aides (HHAs) for all regions in this study is $22 per hour.
- The region with the highest average hourly rate for certified Home Health Aides (HHAs) is Casper, Wyoming and costs $30.83 per hour.
- The region with the lowest average hourly rate for Home Health Aides (HHAs) is Jackson, Mississippi, and costs $16.10 per hour.
1National Health Expenditures 2014 Highlights
Assisted Living
Assisted Living Facilities
Assisted Living Facilities (ALF) have increased in popularity as an alternative to in-home or nursing home care. In a 1996 study, 20% of those who needed long-term care (LTC) received care in an ALF; by 2013 that had increased to 45% receiving care there1. Approximately one million Americans make their home in one of approximately 31,000 assisted living facilities in the U.S. today according to the Assisted Living Federation of America. And this number is projected to grow. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 26 states are projected to double their 65-and-older population between 2000 and 2030. By 2050 there will be an estimated 86 million people in the U.S. who are 65 years or older, fueling the demand for assisted living facilities.
Assisted living provides coordinated, personalized 24-hour assistance and support (both scheduled and unscheduled) in a congregate residential setting. The choices, privacy, independence and rights of the persons served are proactively protected and promoted as an essential part of assisted living's core values and mission.
For the Cost of Long-Term Care Study, 12,500 assisted living facilities were surveyed in 2014. Key findings include:
- The U.S. state annual average cost for residing in a private room in an assisted living facility is $50,940. Overall costs may be higher in urban settings or if a resident has a high level of chronicity, which requires additional services.
- The national average monthly rate for a single occupancy, private unit in an assisted living facility is $4,245 in the regions surveyed.
- The region with the most expensive average monthly rate for a private, single occupancy unit in an assisted living facility is New York/Northern New Jersey/Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA., and costs $6,194 per month.
- The region with the lowest average monthly rate for a private, single occupancy unit in an assisted living facility is Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN, and costs $2,678 per month.
1LTCG Study, 2015
Nursing Homes
Nursing Homes
The nursing home industry is composed of establishments primarily engaged in providing inpatient nursing and rehabilitative services. The care is generally provided for an extended period of time to individuals requiring skilled nursing care.
For the Cost of Long-Term Care Study, over 8,500 nursing homes were surveyed in 2014. Key findings include:
- The national average annual cost of a private room in a nursing home based on the regions in the study is $97,455 per year.
- The national average daily rate for a private room in a nursing home is $267 in the markets surveyed.
- The region with the most expensive average daily rate for a private room in a nursing home is Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT, and costs $487 per day.
- The region with the least expensive daily average rate for a private room in a nursing home is the non-metropolitan region of the Missouri and costs $154 per day.


text:
Crazy Substitute Teachers
Enjoy, NG4.03 / 5.00 2,613 Views
Vacuum Salesman
This dude and his Megazord vacuum cleaner4.01 / 5.00 2,886 Views
Markiplier Animated | Mark Of The Survey Corps
This took far too long to make...3.97 / 5.00 7,370 Views
very good
when she came out of the water scared me so much!
So sad and tragic..this honestly touched me. You have an amazing way of telling a story...i was unbelievably impressed. I rated this a 5 because it most certainly deserved it....if you were to make the art and animation better i would have asked newgrounds to add a 6 button because it really would deserve it.
Thank you for sharing this story with us.
Take care!
the feels.... It wasn't scary... It was sad! T_T The mother in the door smiling at him forgiving him... Forgiveness is something I will never have
"once again"
its so cool theire should be a series of this
That was brilliant my friend. I'm looking more toward your thinking, writing and imagination rather than your animation. I found the story very sad, it made me think about all the people out there in the world that really do suffer from this isolation, cut off from the rest of the world. It is a sad childhood to experience and this is what made your story so intriguing, he is forced to kill his dying mother, the only person he's really known or cared about.
As well as tragedy, you have captured the essence of horror well with great use of music, which was playing at a uneasy intensity. I also liked that the animation was in black and white, this really adds to the story, this lonely bleak cut off lake, so grey and so depressing.
I found your actual dialogue simple, but descriptive and it was to the point, you really didn't waste words, it was well narrated.
I do wish something better would have happened at the end, as the story seemed to just cut off with his mother standing at the door. But I commend you on your effort and imagination in creating this tale and it goes into my favourite Flash videos.
5/5 10/10 Great work.


text:
15 Inch Built-in Beverage Center with 2 Adjustable Glass Shelves, Digital Control Panel, LED Interior Lighting, Security Lock and ADA Compliant
Our Price
24 Inch Freestanding Beverage Center with 5.5 cu. ft. Capacity, Adjustable Glass Shelves, Door Lock, Aluminum Door Trim and Commercially Approved: Base Model
19 Inch Commercial Beverage Center with 3.35 cu. ft. Capacity, 4 Adjustable Wire Shelves, LED Lighting, Digital Thermostat, Door Lock, Professional Handle and Automatic Defrost: Built-In Capable, Black Cabinet
15 Inch Built-in Beverage Center with 2.45 cu. ft. Capacity, 3 Adjustable Chrome Shelves, LED Lighting, Digital Thermostat, Door Lock, Automatic Defrost and Approval for Commercial Use: Black Cabinet Finish
4.1 cu. ft. Compact Refrigerator with Adjustable Wire Shelves, Auto Defrost, Factory Installed Lock, Glass Door and ADA Compliant
4.1 cu. ft. Medical Refrigerator with 2 Adjustable Wire Shelves, 1 Fixed Glass Shelf, Freezer Compartment, Door Lock and External Temperature Gauge: Standard Height
24 Inch Compact Refrigerator with 5.1 cu. ft. Capacity, 2 Adjustable Glass Shelves, Crisper Drawer, 3 Door Bins, Wine Rack, Freezer Compartment, Interior Lighting and Dial Thermostat: Black, ADA Compliant
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17 Inch Commercial Compact Refrigerator with Adjustable Chrome Shelves, Double Pane Tempered Glass Door, Digital Thermostat, Door Lock, LED Lighting, Automatic Defrost and Professional Handle: Stainless Steel Cabinet
24 Inch Freestanding Beverage Center with Adjustable Wire Shelves, Automatic Defrost, Interior Light, Door Lock and Commercially Approved: White Handle
24 Inch Compact Refrigerator with 5.1 cu. ft. Capacity, 2 Adjustable Glass Shelves, Crisper Drawer, 3 Door Bins, Wine Rack, Freezer Compartment, Interior Lighting and Dial Thermostat: White, ADA Compliant
$700 - $799
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>>> TWO for ONE Special on Flat & Folded Notecards. SHOP HERE! (Ends 7/27.)
>>> SALE--30% Off Back to School Sale--SHOP HERE! (Ends 8/2-Code BTS0713.)
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My girlfriend and I spent three days, two nights at the Carriage House Inn in room 6, which is the last room in the three room carriage house. Jim met us at the door as we pulled in, and he and Val went above and beyond to make our stay, and everyone else's stay a memorable one. From voluntarily taking the time to go over a map of the area and filling us in on different sights, shops, and restaurants to see around town- to the fresh baked cookies every afternoon in the main house, we knew this was unlike anywhere we'd stayed before. The room was very clean, beautifully decorated, complete with an electric fireplace and sliding glass side doors that opened into the side of the yard that still allowed for lots of privacy. The breakfasts went above and beyond anything that I could have dreamed. My favorite was the eggs florentine our first morning there. Jim and Val are awesome hosts of a charming bed and breakfast. The question isn't IF we'll be back, but when!
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- A romantic year-round bed & breakfast near Chatham Light Beach and downtown Chatham, the Carriage House Inn offers spacious grounds, beautifully appointed guestrooms and gracious hospitality. All rooms have queen size beds, private bathrooms, TV's with DVD players, air conditioning and CD alarm clocks; some feature fireplaces, private entrances, and outdoor sitting areas. A full, gourmet breakfast is served each morning under the crystal chandelier in the dining room or adjacent sunroom. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Hotels.com, Booking.com, Expedia, Orbitz, Odigeo and Travelocity so you can book your Carriage House Inn reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Carriage House Hotel Chatham


text: On 13.06.07, David Goodger wrote: > While the meaning of "introduction" is obvious, I find "transition" to > be vague. "transition" is also unfortunate because it is already used with a different meaning (a transition object). > Rather than intro/transition, perhaps one of these pairs: > - introduction/afterword # too long/verbose :-| > - opening/closing > - prelude/finale # or prelude/coda > - prologue/epilogue # :-) (still quite verbose) > - prepend/append (verb forms) > - prefix/suffix (verb or noun) > - exordium/peroratio > Prefix/suffix seems the clearest. It is my experience that "prefix/suffix" are more often used to denote parts of a word rather than parts of a text. For me, "prologue/epilogue" would most distincly refer to introductory/transitional text. Other alternatives introduction: * proem Preface; introduction; preliminary observations; prelude. [1913 Webster] * primer * preface transition: * conclusion * coda: [It., tail] the closing section of a musical composition [syn: {finale}] * segue v : proceed without interruption; in music or talk; "He segued into another discourse" However, while hobby-linguist, I am not a native speaker of English. So I'll happily leave the decision to the experts. Günter


text:
Imaging Systems Are Combining Specific Labels...
Inventors Need to Grapple with Developing...
Matching Healthcare Solutions with Delivery Experience...
The Potential of NGS to Revolutionize...
Swiss firm Genkyotex raised CHF25 million ($26 million) in an extension to its Series C financing round, primarily to support Phase II development of its dual NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor GKT137831 for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. Participants in the financing included Eclosion, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Vesalius Biocapital Partners, and MP Healthcare Venture.
Genkyotex is focused on developing small molecule therapeutics that selectively inhibit NOX (NADPH oxidase) enzymes involved in controlling the oxidative stress cascade that leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can cause tissue damage and modify biological pathways implicated in pathologies including metabolic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurological diseases.
Lead compound GKT137831 is a selective NOX1/4 inhibitor in Phase I clinical development initially for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. The firm previously received funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to support its work in diabetic nephropathy. A Phase Ib study with GKT137831 is ongoing, and Phase II development could start by the end of 2012 pending positive Phase Ib data, the firm projects.
NOX enzymes exist in seven isoforms, and a causal role for NOX enzymes in diabetic complications is well recognized, Genkyotex explains. NOX4 plays a key role in glomerular damage and kidney fibrosis, which lead to albuminuria and end-stage renal disease, respectively. NOX1 is also involved in angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and other diabetic co-morbidities. This indicates that inhibiting both NOX1 and NOX4 could feasibly represent an effective therapeutic option for diabetic nephropathy, the firm states.
Preclinical studies with GKT137831 in multiple in vivo models suggest that the candidate may in addition have applications in a broad range of indications, including other fibrotic diseases, including atherosclerosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, liver fibrosis, and angiogeneisis.
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MDMA (commonly known as the empathogen "ecstasy") is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which is reserved for compounds with no accepted medical use and a high abuse potential. Two researchers from Stanford, however, call for a rigorous scientific exploration of MDMA's effects to identify precisely how the drug works, the data from which could be used to develop therapeutic compounds.Do you agree that ecstasy should be studied for its potential therapeutic benefits?
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GarageGames has issued version 1.1.1 of Torque Game Builder, its 2D game creation tool. Changes include the ability to view and edit Tile Layers inside the LevelBuilder, drop-in add-on functionality in the Level Builder and tools set, a sorting mode assigned to each layer, workflow improvements, and more.
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text:
You ladies know so much about this, so thank you in advance! ĀLMP was May 3. ĀI have 33 day cycles. ĀI went for my first U/S today and was told I am barely 5 weeks. ĀFrom my calculations I should be almost 6 (I know the only weekend I saw my DH was wkend of May 21). ĀThere was a gestational sac, but that's it. ĀThey took blood and said come back in 10 days. ĀNow that I'm home I am so worried. ĀWould you be? ĀTY
To be worried or not to be....
Comments (4)
I would not be worried.┬Ā If your periods are that long there is no telling when your implantation occured.┬Ā There is about a 6 day variation in implantation for women.┬Ā That can set you ahead or back depending on where you fall in that window.┬Ā Furthermore, even if you know exactly when you had sex with your DH, sperm can live inside a woman under ideal conditions for up to five days.┬Ā So say you had sex on May 21, you may not have concieved until May 26 and you may not have implanted until 12 days or so after that.┬Ā Assuming you did not concieve until a number of days after sex, the development of your baby is most likely right on track.┬Ā
I'm a worrier too, but I would try not to.┬Ā Just seeing the sac is a big plus!┬Ā If you were told you are 5 weeks and you thought you were almost 6, that's not a big enough difference to worry too much about.┬Ā Keep us posted!
Danielle and Ethan, married July 8, 2006
James Marshall was born October 7, 2009
Andrew Robert was born on February 7, 2012
No worries! ┬ĀMy LMP was April 18th and I am just 6 weeks along. My first US I thought I'd be 7 weeks along & I was only 4 or 5. I was scared too but on Tuesday I went for a second US and the baby had a heartbeat.
Your situation sounds very similar to mine. We just ovulate late. I found out that my mom and Grandmom were the same way! Maybe it is genetic?
No worries! :)
Wife for 3 years, mommy to Xander [02/08/12] and fur baby, Cambria. TTC #2 !
All by God's grace.
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Read about 4 years 4 months : Week 2.
Your growing child
Your 4 1/4-year-old: Understanding TV
Your 4 1/4-year-old: Early risers
Your 4 1/4-year-old: Routine matters
Your 4 1/4-year-old: Learning responsibility
Your 4 1/4-year-old: Swim lessons
Learn more
What's next for your growing child?
Get a glimpse of what's to come.
Read about 4 years 6 months.


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Hotels in Fabrezan, France
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- Most bookedLes Jardins de Saint Benoît
32 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
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"The hotel is nicely located for many good restaurants and attractions. The apartments looked nice, but is not of the best quality. We had problems with the internet, the water pressure in the shower and toilet (which did n´t flush) and extremely noisy and un-useful aircondition. Other wise, our s..."
A Traveller, Jul 2014, IE
14 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
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"A most enjoyable and relaxing stay, good to use to regain energy after 3 busy weeks site seeing around Southern France"
A Traveller, Sep 2013, AU
- Auberge FlyZoneNo Guest Reviews yet
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Hotels within 10 miles of Fabrezan
31 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
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"This is a lovely peaceful place to rent an apartment, shops are a short drive or bike ride away and the area is beautiful with lots of things to see and do. We found the location perfect, just half an hour or less from Narbonne, Carcassonne and the mountains by car. The place itself has a woodlan..."
A Traveller, Sep 2014, GB
17 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
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"Pretty and comfortable hotel within a 20 minute drive of Carcassonne. I would recommend this hotel for a quiet day or two"
A Traveller, Aug 2015, GB
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"We rarely stay at B&Bs as we prefer the anonymity of a hotel normally. However we really enjoyed at Maison Allene with Marlene and Albert delightful hosts who did everything they could to make our stay a very pleasant one. The establishment is right in the town centre with a front door opening di..."
A Traveller, May 2015, AU
6 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
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- Demeure de Roquelongue
- Le Château de la Redorte & Spa
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- Le Relais du Val d'Orbieu
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You'll also want to determine which type of accommodations will suit your needs before booking a hotel in Fabrezan. If you're traveling with the kiddos, a family friendly hotel will offer larger rooms and more sleeping arrangements. For those traveling for an extended period of time, booking a hotel suite with a kitchenette is a smart move and will feel a little more like home. If you are budget conscience and just need a place to rest your head, a hostel or motel may be all you need.
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What does the future of customer service look like? And how will digital technologies impact the way customer service is delivered? These are two among many other questions that we at Thinque addressed when we analysed the future for a client of ours within the customer service industry. In this blog post, we will share some of that research, insight and foresight.
6 Insights On The Future Of Customer Service
Posted on Thursday, 23 Jun 2016
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During recent years Nike has increased their digital investments, and as a result we've seen interesting products and services like the Nike+ Running App, Nike FuelBand and NikeID. In the middle of march this year Business Of Fashion reported that Nike launched a new shoe called HyperAdapt 1.0, it's a shoe that uses "adaptive lacing" technology that enables the wearer to tighten and loosen the shoelaces by touching a small button. This new product is one part of their new strategy which is all about personal transformation.Read Full Entry
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Fluffy Butter Frosting
30 Sep 2009
|6 Tablespoon
|1⁄4 Teaspoon
|1 Teaspoon
|Sifted confectioner's sugar
|1 Pound
|Egg whites
|2 , unbeaten
|1 Tablespoon
Cream butter, salt, and vanilla together.
Add sugar alternately with egg whites, beating well after each addition.
Add milk and beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
Recipe Summary
Rate It
Nutrition Rank
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: Complete recipe
Calories 2511 Calories from Fat 647
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 74 g113.2%
Saturated Fat 46.5 g232.6%
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 195 mg65%
Sodium 597.1 mg24.9%
Total Carbohydrates 455 g151.8%
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 440.4 g
Protein 8 g15.1%
Vitamin A 45.3% Vitamin C
Calcium 4.3% Iron 0.44%
*Based on a 2000 Calorie diet
1 Comment
07/20/2011 - 02:55
I am trying to find out how to make frosting, the real fluffy and not so sweet.
Fluffy Butter Frosting Recipe


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Published on
Platform2u.com was established in October 2008 by a team of young and ambitious technopreneurs. The company was formed with the vision to provide a complete end-to-end e-commerce platform to the Asia industry by easily setting up online-businesses and trading in the global marketplace. In a short span of three months, we have obtained the MSC status from Malaysia Government in early January 2009 to recognize for our innovative research and development efforts in e-Commerce era. In April 2009, when Platform2u.com was just seven months old, we are proud to launch our brainchild, SMILD(S), the fourth generation e-commerce solution to the public. Being young and energetic, SMILD(S) was well received and we were pleased that in a glimpse; our community grew to several hundred merchants and still growing.
Platform2u.com's mission is to become the Pioneer and Enabler as well as a being a professional Service Provider in a brand new Business-to-Business-to-Consumer-to-Consumer (B2B2C2C) platform in Asia Internet Retailing industry. It has been our vision to be the Top 5 Internet Retailing platform in Asia Pacific Region and to build our very own Malaysian brand and make a stand in Asia. As our motto says "We will definitely make it happen!


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Editor's note: In the first edition of "Four Quarters," J.A. Adande addresses the state of the Lakers, the Rockets' early success and more.
First quarter
Right now, the Lakers are like a couple with a newborn baby, grateful for a few moments of peace and quiet, wary that the slightest noise could set off another round of crying and screaming.
The Lakers' 3-2 start, public declarations from Chicago and Dallas that they weren't Kobe Bryant-shopping (at least for now), and Bryant's realization and acceptance that his trade wishes won't be fulfilled easily have created this blissful nap time. That could change this week with a challenging schedule that includes back-to-back games in San Antonio and Dallas, followed by a home game against Detroit. It will be an early referendum on how the Lakers match up with the contending class.
The Texas swing has all the makings of what I call a Cool J trip (as in, L-L), and the Lakers have lost 10 of their last 12 games to the Pistons, including the 2004 NBA Finals. A winless week could set off all kinds of alarms.
Still, there's reason for optimism in the L.A. camp. The Lakers have eked out a winning record despite injuries to Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown, an uncertain center rotation, and all of the Kobe drama. They look livelier on defense, and they're third in the league in field goal percentage and assists per game.
"They're moving the ball," coach Phil Jackson said. "I think that's the best thing. Some of it's not always good passes or the passes aren't complete. But they're moving the ball, they're looking for each other, and the execution's going to come."
Overall, there's a feeling that they've settled down, that it's even possible to have back-to-back days without a trade rumor.
"That's a much better feeling than what we had before," Derek Fisher said. "I think the air of uncertainty about the whole makeup of our team was a big question mark. I think that played a little bit into that opening night game [a loss to Houston], where we had a chance to win but we just weren't quite in sync. We were missing free throws, some of the concentration things."
Bryant has resumed his customary spot atop the league's scoring list, averaging 30.4 points, but the key is he's making 49.5 percent of his shots, a career-best rate. And the Lakers have five other players averaging double figures. After missing the first four games while making sure his surgically repaired shoulder had healed completely, Odom slipped right back in with an 18-point, 10-rebound night against Minnesota on Friday night.
Fisher's 14 ppg puts him on a career-high pace, and that's not even his greatest value.
"Part of why I was brought here in the first place was to give a solid performance on the court, but to definitely be a guy off the court that can be an impartial voice of reason for everybody," Fisher said.
"I've done little things here and there, make sure I'm talking to the group, make sure I'm staying connected to Kobe, make sure I'm staying connected to our team overall. Just to make sure guys don't get too caught up in thinking that this is the only place in the league where this kind of stuff happens."
Fisher pointed to the example of his last team, Utah. Andrei Kirilenko expressed his unhappiness with coach Jerry Sloan and requested a trade over the summer.
"The circumstances of what happened aren't different," Fisher said. "It's the coverage and where we are that's different."
Notice how quickly the Kirilenko story died down? Life isn't as simple in Lakerland.
"It's L.A., so the visibility and the spotlight is more intense," Fisher said.
That's why even the absence of news is news, and why a little silence sounds just as sweet as a lullaby.
Second quarter
This e-mail from Ames, Iowa, made me think more than any I've ever received:
Mr. Adande, I am from the professional basketball hotbed of central Iowa, and believe it or not, I have never really followed the NBA. I have sworn an oath that I would do so this season, purely because I like basketball and feel like I should be familiar with the NBA. Here's the problem, I'm in my late 20s and I missed that period in life when you choose the team you give your heart and soul to. So I have been trying to decide if I should just "be a fan of the game" or if I should try to intensely follow a specific team, and if so, which team?
Many thanks, Peter
The first part's easy: If you want to experience the highs and lows, you definitely need a rooting interest. Now the hard part: If you were going to start from scratch -- and you lived in neutral territory -- which NBA team would you adopt today?
The obvious answer would be the Phoenix Suns, but at this point that's almost a cliché. Besides, there's a chance you could be late to the party. Spurs? Too mundane, and not just because of their persona. There's nothing exciting about picking a defending champion.
I believe you should buy cars, not lease them, and I also believe you should make a long-term commitment to your team. So I'd be wary of teams that might have peaked already, such as Miami, Detroit or Dallas. You could try to catch on with the current flavor and go for the Boston Celtics (if nothing else, you could immediately taunt your friends with "Sixteen championships -- how many you got?") but if it doesn't pan out, you might have to start from scratch in a couple of years.
Unless we get an autopsy report to proclaim the Kobe trade rumors officially dead, you don't want to risk buying a Lakers or Bulls jersey only to have it become an instant throwback.
Rooting for Cleveland just means rooting for LeBron. You want to have a whole squad to cheer for.
What would be the most fun and potentially satisfying would be to get in with a young team with potential. That group includes Houston (T-Mac and Yao are still 28 and 27, respectively), Utah, Orlando, Atlanta and New Orleans, plus the long-term candidates, Portland and Seattle.
We have to cross Seattle off the list because it would be hard to support an owner who's ready to uproot his team from a place it has called home throughout four decades.
I've added another factor, on the assumption you don't have NBA League Pass: national TV appearances. You wouldn't adopt a puppy and play with him just a couple of times over the next year, right? You want your team to be a regular part of your life. And by that criterion, Houston and Portland are the two best choices. They'll be on ABC, ESPN and TNT another 13 times each this season, by my unofficial count.
Portland has a rich owner and a savvy GM and has to wash away years of image-reducing incidents, so you have to think the Blazers will do whatever it takes to get better except adding knuckleheads to the roster. They'll have a nucleus of Greg Oden, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. The only bad thing for Peter is they'll be playing most of their games in the Pacific time zone, which means he'll have to stay up late to watch his squad.
Houston's in his Central time zone and has the personality of Yao, the excitement of McGrady and the finger wagging of Dikembe Mutombo. The Rockets have won championships more recently, so you at least can say they've had success in your lifetime. I'll warn you that this team comes with underachieving Rick Adelman at coach. That means there are potential side effects with this pick, such as yelling at your TV in frustration.
Good luck with whatever team you choose, Peter.
And commenters, feel free to tell us which team you'd pick if we had the fans' equivalent of the 2005 luxury tax amnesty waiver and you could start fresh with no penalty.
Third quarter
The Rockets look as though they're beginning to understand a fundamental fact about their team: If this squad's going anywhere in the playoffs, Yao Ming will have to be the guy to take it there.
They tried the Tracy McGrady way. So far, the best that has done is extend the season by seven games. Hey, Kobe Bryant on his own hasn't been enough to get the Lakers past the first round of the playoffs -- and T-Mac isn't quite Kobe.
So why not go with the 2002 No. 1 pick, the 7-6 giant with the soft shooting touch? Houston relied on him against Charlotte on Sunday, when he scored a career-high 34 points. And he carried the Rockets home a week ago against San Antonio, when his team held a nine-point lead against the Spurs in the fourth quarter. Yao scored or assisted on five of their next six field goals. He worked his way to a 28-point, 13-rebound, six-assist night and was the star of the game, even if Manu Ginobili did get all up in his Cheetos.
Maybe the Rockets are quick learners. Perhaps they watched the tape and saw what I saw in a groggy state early Tuesday morning, when I woke up in the den to find the TV tuned to a replay of Monday's Rockets-Mavericks game in the fourth quarter. I saw the funkiest moment of Yao's career: a split-the-double-team, one-handed-off-the-dribble, oh-yeah-there's-some-for-you-too-Dirk, power dunk plus a foul. Accented with a fist pump, too. That's the kind of nastiness we've been waiting to see from him.
Then he got only one more touch the rest of the way as the Mavericks pulled away for a victory amid an assortment of errant Houston jump shots.
The lesson: When your big man looks ready to own the paint, get the ball to him.
Yes, the Rockets have loosened up the offense under Rick Adelman. They're running more. Gotcha. Still, the only way they're going to make noise in the playoffs is if they have a dependable low-post option, just like Kareem was always there for the Showtime Lakers when they couldn't fast break. It's time to determine once and for all whether Yao is that guy for these Rockets. Because they can't expect McGrady to do this on a regular basis.
Fourth quarter
I caught this FreeDarko.com post about a deleted scene from Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" that featured famous philosophers playing hoops against the actual New York Knicks, so I had to ask Phil Jackson his recollections of the film shoot. He seems to recall more eating than hooping.
"We played basketball for five minutes, and then had dinner upstairs," Jackson said.
I asked him who was the best philoso-baller.
"I can't remember, but I would say that Nietzsche would be the best," Jackson said.
Why Nietzsche?
"I like his philosophy the best," Jackson said.
You can also count Shaquille O'Neal among the NBA fans of the philosopher who once proclaimed "God is dead." Jackson gave Shaq a copy of Nietzsche's autobiography, and the center produced a two-page book report, and later proclaimed: "Nietzsche was so intelligent and advanced. And that's how I am. I'm the black, basketball-playing Nietzsche."
J.A. Adande joined ESPN.com as an NBA columnist in August 2007 after 10 years with the Los Angeles Times. Click here to e-mail J.A.


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